Eidos does it up--Just Cause they can

Eidos is a publishing house revitalized. Tomb Raider: Legend is the comeback story of the year, and the company's E3 titles look to continue the momentum.

Reservoir Dogs is a title that's very reminiscent of one of last year's most pleasant surprises: Rockstar Games' The Warriors. It's based on a rather old license--almost 15 years, at this point--but provides more of a "fill in the blanks" approach, telling the backstory of the movie rather than following the film scene by scene. Like The Warriors, Reservoir Dogs will feature copious amounts of violence and profanity--the developers were unsure at this point whether the film's "torture scene" would be playable or a CGI sequence--or if it would make the cut at all (no pun intended). The gameplay seems to follow the same formula as The Getaway, which is to say that it looks passable but not groundbreaking in any way. This is likely a game that fans will enjoy and most others will pass on.

Of all the games on the show floor this year, the one that has me the most excited is Just Cause, an open-ended GTA-style game that takes place in a tropical paradise. The scope of options available and the stunts at your disposal in this game are astounding. Your character has 89 vehicles at his disposal--sea, ground, and air-faring. Sure, GTA did too, but the seamlessness between them in this game is amazing. In the demo, the main character was able to park a helicopter, jack a Cessna, then skydive and use a grappling hook to parasail behind an enemy's vehicle. The on-foot combat was nothing to scoff at, either. If this game can offer up those thrills for extended periods, this could have the potential to be one of the year's biggest hits. Best game of show? I wouldn't argue with that.